Shoulder-rest for violins.



R. P. MOBGESTER.

SHOULDER BEST FOR VIOLINS. APPLICATION men FEB. 24. I917.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

RIDGWAY I. MORGESTER, OF RIDGWAY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOULDER-REST FOR. VIOLINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed February 24, 1917. Serial No. 150,717.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R'rnGwAY P. Morons run, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ridgway, in the county of Elk and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or dis covered certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Rests for Violins, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a shoulder brace or rest for violins and has for its object to provide a device of this kind which is associated with a chin rest of well known or suitable construction in such a manner that it may be folded up against the chin rest when not in use, and will thus be adapted to fit within the violin case without being detached from the violin, although it may be readily detached if this should be necessary 'or desirable, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of my improved device attached to a violin, showing the brace in operative position in full lines and in folded position in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same looking from the right of Fig. 1, this view also showing the brace in operative and folded position in full and dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the device with the rest in operative position. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the plate with which the rest has a hinged connection.

Referring to the drawing, 12 denotes a portion of a violin and 13 a chin rest of well known form and which is adapted to be clamped to the violin in a well known manner. These clamping parts consist of hooks 14 entering the said chin rest and having depending screw-threaded parts engaged by nuts 15 which also engage the upper ends of screw-threaded rods 16 forming part of a continuous loop the lower part 17 of which is flattened.

To the parts above described, and which may be of any well known or suitable construction, I have added a padded clamping plate 18 which rests upon the flattened part 17 and which is provided with sockets 19 and a locking lug 20. The rest or brace consists of a single piece of wire bent to form a looped brace or rest 21, from which extend arms 22 having closed bends 23 and outwardly extending pivot parts or hooks 24: entering the sockets 19 on the plate 18, the

said hooks 24; when in said sockets affording a hinged connection for the said brace or rest, so that it may be folded up against the chin rest 13 when desired. It will thus be understood that the rest, with its hinge parts or hooks 24: consists of a single piece of bent wire which is sufficiently resilient so that the arms 22 will naturally spring outward to hold the pivot parts or hooks 24 in the sockets 19.

The lug 20 on the plate 18 is so arranged that when the rest is in its operative position said lug will frictionally engage the inner parts of the closed bends 23 of the rest with a wedging action and will thus positively lock the hooks 2 1 in their sockets 19. The said lug will also have such an engagement with the inner parts of the closed bends 23. which straddle said lug, as to frictionally maintain the brace or rest in its operative position, and will thus hold it from accidental displacement, this frictional engagement being such that it can be readily overcome when it is desired to turn the rest upward on its hinged connection with the plate 18 to the folded position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

Owing to the fact that the rest is of skeleton form and consists of a single piece of wire bent into proper shape, the tone of the violin will not be in any degree muted, as is the case when no rest or a padded rest is used. This improved rest will enable the violin to be held in such a manner that it will be free to rest upon the shoulder with a very slight pressure on the chin rest, thus enabling the violin to be held in a free and easy position so that the instrument may be played with the greatest possible ease; and when the rest is not in use it may be folded up so that it will readily fit within the violin case, as hereinbefore stated, without being detached from the instrument.

The invention is not to be understood as being limited to the details herein shown, as these may be varied widely, within the limits of mechanical skill, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. The combination with a violin chin rest and its clamp, of a folding shoulder rest consisting of a plate resting on the lower jaw of said clamp and provided with sockets,

a shoulder rest consisting of a single piece of bent Wire having a hinged connection with said plate at said sockets, and means for yieldingly locking said shoulder rest in its operative position.

2. A folding shoulder rest for violins comprising a plate provided with sockets and with a locking lug, and a single piece or wire having a looped part, serving as a 10 shoulder rest, and having arms extending from said looped part and straddling said lug, the extremities of said arms being formed as outwardly extending pivot hooks entering said sockets and forming a hinged connection of said rest with said plate. 15

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

, RIDGVVAY P. MORGESTER. Witnesses PAUL MOHNEY, LILY N ORDSTROM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

